I always learn so much from Joanna’s books and her podcast. Here’s the latest haul.

About the Book

Do you want to write more but feel frustrated at your lack of time? Are you doing ‘busy’ work instead of moving toward your creative goals? Is your To-Do list overwhelming?

It’s time to stop, reassess and take control of your time. This book will help you discover the path to becoming a productive writer.

Learn how to:

• Identify what’s really stopping you from reaching your goals
• Say no and set boundaries for others — and for yourself
• Find more time to write
• Make the most of your writing time
• Dictate your words for a more efficient and healthy writing life
• Use outsourcing to buy yourself more creative time
• Work with co-writers to produce more books
• Use tools for specific aspects of productivity
• Focus on physical and mental health to boost your productive time

I’ve been writing and publishing for over a decade and in this book, I’ll share my lessons learned in order to help you become more productive and, hopefully, save you time, money and heartache along the way.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

This book helps you take a good look at your life (writing and everything else) to figure out your why, your to-do list, your not-to-do list, how to organise and schedule your time, organise your writing, and be more productive.

My biggest take away is to stop trying to do everything at once: focus on one thing and get it done before moving on to something else. Otherwise your mind will be preoccupied anyway.

A great addition to every author’s library.

About the Book

Do you suffer from physical pain relating to your writing life?

Are you struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury?

These are the most common issues reported by writers and if you struggle with any of them, you are not alone.

Writing is not a physically healthy job, but if you want a long-term writing career, then you need to look after your body.

I’ve been through my own pain journey over the last six years. I used to get crippling migraines that sent me to a dark room, and back pain so bad that I couldn’t sleep, as well as stress levels so high that I wasn’t able to breathe normally.

Now, my back pain, migraines and RSI have almost gone completely, and I manage my writing life in a far healthier way than ever before. I share my personal journey and insights with you in this book.

My co-author is Dr Euan Lawson, who shares his insights into how we can reduce pain, improve health and build a writing career for the long term.

The book covers:

Introduction and survey results from 1200 writers
Why writing is great for your health

>>> Part 1: The Unhealthy Writer

Stress, anxiety, burnout
Back, neck and shoulder pain
Writer’s cramp and Repetitive Strain Injury
A personal journey to a pain-free back
Writing with chronic pain
Sedentary life and inactivity
Sleep problems/ insomnia
Eye strain, headaches, and migraine
A personal story of headaches and migraine
Loneliness and isolation
Weight gain or weight loss
Joanna’s Letter to Sugar
Digestive issues and IBS
A personal journey through IBS with FODMAP
Mood and mental health
Writing with depression
Alcohol, coffee, drugs and other substances

>>> Part 2: The Healthy Writer

Build resilience
Improve your workspace
Find a community
Start moving
Sort out your diet
Sort out your sleep
Develop healthy habits
How to use dictation for healthier writing life
Lessons learned about writing from walking a double ultra-marathon
Breathing, mindfulness, and meditation
Yoga and writing
Longevity: writing for the long-term

It’s time to be a healthy writer!

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Some good tips for common health issues writers experience.

Having a blue light filter for your screens for eye care is crucial – my optometrist added it to my glasses early in 2021 and my eyes stopped hurting all the time (and it cut down on headaches originating from my eyes).

I like writing by hand, but typing it up has always triggered pain. Thanks to the ergonomic suggestions in the book, that has been sorted out.

I do disagree about on point: the authors suggest that having your pets sleep in your bed is bad for your sleep health. Since I’ve allowed my dogs to sleep in my room and on my bed, my sleep quality has been better – backed by my fitness tracker that also tracks my sleep.

I started my journey to be healthier before I bought, and finally read, this book. Thanks to the advice of Joanna and Euan, I’m on a path to being (mostly) pain free.

A great book for every author to have, no matter the stage of the author journey they’re on. Learning healthy habits early in your career will keep you productive, happy and pain free for the long life of your career.

About the Book

Being a writer is not just about typing.

It’s also about surviving the roller-coaster of the creative journey.

Self-doubt, fear of failure, the need for validation, perfectionism, writer’s block, comparisonitis, overwhelm, and much more. When you’re going through these things, it can feel like you’re alone. But actually, they are part of the creative process, and every author goes through them too.

This book collects the mindset issues that writers experience, that I have been through myself over the last nine years, and that perhaps you will experience at different times on the creative journey.

Each small chapter tackles a possible issue and then offers an antidote, so that you can dip in and out over time. It includes excerpts from my own personal journals as well as quotes from well-known writers. I hope it helps you on the road to becoming a successful author.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Such a great book to guide you through the different mindset hurdles authors face on a daily basis with explanations of why it happens, what to do about it, and excellent quotes by various creatives to help overcome whatever is bothering you.

Personally, I like the concept of taking time off from everything else to just create. I liked the idea of putting up barriers to protect my creative self.

I really liked the last chapter about creating a body of work and to not cling to one book as the be-all and end-all of your creative career.

It was good to be reminded of some of the stuff in this book.

A must-read for all authors and a must-have in every author’s library.

About the Book

Do you want to create, publish and market your audiobooks?
Are you ready to use podcasting to grow your author brand and reach more readers with your books?

Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing with double-digit growth in markets across the world. Podcasting has gone mainstream with listeners consuming audio on mobile phones and in-car devices, as well as through smart speakers. Advancements in voice technology continue to expand possibilities for audio creation and marketing.

With such rapid growth in opportunity, how can you position your books in an increasingly voice-first world?

I’ve been podcasting for over a decade as well as narrating and producing my own audiobooks since 2014. I’m an avid consumer of audio content and I’m also experimenting with AI voice technologies. In this book, I’ll share everything I know so you can position your books and your author brand for the next shift in reader behavior.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

An in-depth look at audiobooks, podcasts, dictation and other audio things for authors. Loads of resources, tips and questions to think about.

I got a lot out of it for my journey in podcasting and audiobooks – especially marketing them and leveraging podcasts to sell books.

A great addition to every author’s library.

Have you read any of these books? Have you read any non-fiction books by Joanna?